Ball State's Department of Elementary Education was recently recognized as a Distinguished Program in Teacher Education.

Jill Miels, chairwoman of the department of elementary education, accepted the award presented during the Association of Teacher Educators' 2007 annual conference in San Diego.

"The award application was reviewed by a group of peers representing teacher education institutions around the country," Miels said. "It's a real honor for our programs. It recognizes the strength of our programs at Ball State and validates the work we've done as an entire department."

The award recognizes and honors outstanding programs that exemplify collaboration between local education agencies and higher education institutions in program development for pre-service teachers, in-service teachers and students.

Ball State's program was honored for its work in the areas of professional development schools, partnership schools and with various other schools and community agencies.

For more information, contact Miels at (765) 285-8564 or jmiels@bsu.edu.

By Kim Jackson